Mop holder



Dec.`15, 1936.

A. c. KooTz 2,064,015

MOP HOLDER Filed Sept. 25, 1935 FIG.l

anew C. BY

ATTORNEY Patented Dec. 15, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE MOP HOLDER Application September 23, 1935, Serial No. 41,717

3 Claims.

The invention relates to mops and more particularly to a mop handle connector and a protector therefor.

Heretofore it has been proposed to perma- 5 nently secure a covering material to the connector and mop handle by fastening means, such as rivets, so that thev cover which wears out faster than the metal parts, when it wears out, leaves the connector unguarded and unsuited for renewal of the covering material by the ordinary user. In my prior U. S. Patent No. 1,879,325, dated September 27, 1932, I have shown a mop protector having a cover guard associated therewith) in which said guard is secured to the connector by the means for clamping the jaws to the mop head, but this is objectionable from the standpoint of quantity assembly of parts, and it also interposes layers of yielding material between the clamping screw o and the jaws which prevents a tight clamping action or a variable clamping pressure between the metal parts themselves. According to the present invention, the disadvantages of the prior constructions have been overcome by providing a handle connector of the general two jaw type shown in the above mentioned patent with guard fastening means on each of said jaws independent and rearwardly of the means for clamping the jaws to the mop frame, and a guard having its ends formed to detachably engage said fastening means so that said guard completely covers the clamping means and may be' readily renewed if it wears out and so that the main mop parts may be completely assembled without any interference from the guard and so that adjustments of the clamping pressure may be made on those connectors using adjustable clamping screws.

The invention further consists in the several 40 features hereinafter set forth and more particularly defined by claims at the conclusion hereof.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a mop embodying the invention, parts of the connector being shown taken in section along the line I-I of Fig. 3 and part of the handle being broken away;

Fig. 2 is a detail elevation view of the connector and its guard;

Fig. 3 is a detail sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

The invention has been shown applied to the so-called wire-bound mops and while this is the preferred construction, the protector and connector hereinafter described are not to be limited to the use on this form of mop head, as the invention is applicable to other types of mop heads having pivoted handles.

As herein shown, the mop element consists of strands 5 cf mop material clamped to a wire 5 frame in known manner, said frame comprising a pair of wires 6 between which the mop strands are initially placed so as to extend outwardly therefrom, after which the wires, held at one end and turned at the other end, are twisted 10 together along their length and in being twisted rmly clamp the mop strands between them. The ends of the frame may be joined together in any suitable manner, but preferably by the coupling member 'I of steel or other relatively 15 hard, ductile metal which is turned to provide a pivot portion 8 and end bosses 9, said member being secured to the ends of said frame by inserting them into a bore in said member and upsetting parts of the end bosses so as to distort 2O the side walls thereof and crimp them about the frame wires.

The handle I0 may have a plain or slightly reduced end portion II that fits into the cylindrical, split, rear end portion I2 of a sheet metal 25 connector which is formed like the aforementioned patent structure from a single blank of sheet metal pressed at this end into tubular form, with laterally extending spaced ears I3 at one side provided with openings to receive 30 a` clamping bolt I I provided with a nut I5 for drawing the separated ends of said cylindrical portion together and into firm, clamping engagement with the handle.

From this rear end portion I2 the sheet metal 35 blank is shaped to provide a pair of resilient clamping jaws I6, having grooved end portions I'I, the jaws being normally separated from each other by the opening in that side which carries the spaced ears I3 and an opening or slit I8 40 formed in the opposite side and extending back into the tubular end portion I2. These jaws I6 are adapted to be held in firm engagement with the mop frame or a coupling member, such as 1, associated therewith either by a rivet or a 4- clamping bolt or screw I9 which may have either a round or square shank adjacent its head and have an ordinary. nut 20 and lock washer 2| at its other end or a slotted nut, it being noted that the clamping means for the jaws is directly engageable with the metal parts of said jaws to provide a rm engagement. The jaws have seats 22 formed as parts thereof and depressed from the tubular end portion I2 to prevent the exposed ends of the rivet or bolt from sticking 55 out, said seats being` formed as parts of reinforcing bosses 23 struck up from the atter portions of said jaws so that a relatively heavy pressure can be imposed on said jaws by the clamping means without danger of breakage or fatigue.

Where the mop and the connector are clamped together as above described, there is a chance oi the operator striking furniture or other finished surfaces with the ends of the jaws and scratching or denting the same, and to guard against this a pad 24 of sheepskin with the fleece 25 thereon or other suitable iexible cushioning or buffer material is adapted to extend around the top, front, and bottom of the jaws and is secured in place by fastening means formed as a part of the jaws and independent of and disposed rearwardly of the clamping means for the jaws so that the guard covers the heads or nuts of said clamping means.

As a means for detachably securing the ends of the guard to the connector, a projection 26 is struck up from each jaw back of the clamping bolt and on the reinforcing boss 23, said projection forming a spur or hook projecting toward the handle portion and adapted to be inserted into a slot or hole 28 punched or otherwise formed in the end portion of the guard 24 whereby the ends of said guard are detachably secured to the connector by simply hooking one end onto one spur and bringing the other end over the front of the jaws and hooking it onto the other spur as shown in Fig. 3. It is also to be noted that the pad is preferably formed from a washable material so that it may be readily kept clean.

I desire it to be understood that this invention is not to be limited toany particular form or arrangement of parts except in so far as such limitations are included in the claims.

What I claim as my invention is:

l. In a mop, a handle connector having clamping jaws to engage a portion of the mop head or frame, clamping means passing through said jaws to hold them in mop engaging position, and guard fastening means formed on said connector independent of and disposed rearwardly of said clamping means, and a guard of exible material having ends detachably connectible with said guard fastening means and extending over said clamping means and the front of said jaws.

2. In a mop, a handle connector having clamping jaws to engage a portion of a mop head or frame, clamping means passing through said jaws to hold them in mop engaging position, hooks formed on said connector and disposed rearwardly of said clamping means, and a guard of flexible material having ends detachably engageable with said hooks and extending over said clamping means and the front of said jaws.

3. In a mop, a handle connector having clamping jaws to engage a portion of the mop head or frame, apertured bosses formed on said jaws, clamping means passing through the apertures of said bosses to hold them in mop engaging position, and guard receiving hooks formed on said bosses independent of and disposed rearwardly of said clamping means, and a guard of flexible material having ends detachably engageable with said hooks and extending over said clamping means and the front of said jaws.

ARTHUR C. KOOTZ. 

